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Skipworth's reading recommendations omit conservatives

Posted
Wednesday, September 20, 2017 5:00 pm

I write in response to the letter to the editor published in the Herald-Citizen on Sept. 1, titled "Thinking for ourselves just too scary for some." The letter was written in support of columnist Gene Skipworth. My comments here are personal observation and I do admit to being a born-again, Bible believing, conservative Christian.

Careful review of Skipworth's columns will indicate that he commonly writes from a one-sided and less than objective perspective. He does frequently encourage further reading but appears to recommend a rather carefully edited list of authors. I have not seen recommendations to read conservative contemporary Christian theologians and writers such as William Lane Craig, Alvin Plantinga, Craig Blomberg, Lee Strobel, or J. Warner Wallace. Nor have I noticed reference to Christian thinkers of the late 20th century such as C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaffer or Dietrich Bonhoeffer‎.

Skipworth's frequent portrayal of conservative Christians as uneducated, illiterate, and unthinking is disappointing. He frequently speaks of Jesus but questions the validity, authority, and traditions of the Bible as well as a number of concepts of orthodox Christianity. I am confused as to how he develops his view of Jesus while discrediting so much of the Bible.

I have meet Skipworth and found him a pleasant and charming fellow but felt that we had trouble finding common ground on subjects of religion. If you read Skipworth, I do suggest that he represents certain points of view and that there are other perspectives on many of the topics that he addresses. As we develop our Christian faith, we should maintain an objective and open minded approach to our investigation.